Yakima also makes a tandem roof rack called the Sidewinder. I think it's about $275. I don't know how it compares to the ATOC Tandem Topper - I'm just throwing another option out there.

I have the predecessor to the Yakima Sidewinder rack. It does not allow for the user to clamp the rack onto the fork of the tandem before hoisting the back onto the rack cradle... with the pre-Sidewinder Yakima rack, you have to pick the whole tandem waaay above your head, and mount the fork in the holder while mounting the lower-rear tube on the cradle (while simultaneously making sure not to catch the timing chain and cables on the rear cradle). I would steer clear of the old Yakima racks unless you're tall and strong. I'm 6'0 and lift weights 3x a week and it's hard for me to get the bike up there.

The new Sidewinder looks lots easier and even though it's pricey I think it's worth considering...

This is the Yakama sidewinder on top of our small honda its a one handed job getting it up really easy.
One local shop sells these but never seen it in action so he came out to see and was amazed at how easy it was.

Ginny - I doubt if Saris makes a tandem roof rack. This is a pretty specialized market.

We got an Atoc Tandem Topper that mounts to our Yakima roof rack. The mounting interface seems pretty universal & may fit your Saris cross bars. If you check with Atoc, they can probably tell you.

I've got an Atoc Tandem Topper which I use periodically with my Saris rooftop rack. You need a conversion kit to make it work (due to the shape of the crossbars), but that only costs a few dollars... any Atoc dealer should be able to provide it.

Just saw this thread . got our carrier opened the box for the tandem topper we got from the rackbarn five minutes ago. it was the thule 558p carrier. it seems to be the same as the ATOC tandem topper carrier. cost was $338 including shipping. we had to get a new carrier for our screamer which has the chain stays going all the way forward, rather than a single tube. the screamer just fits, the burley should be no problem.

The Thule rack is the same as the ATOC. I ended out with the ATOC over the Yakima for two reasons. I liked that the ATOC doesn't touch the frame of our tandem, like the Yakima does. Also the ATOC can be used for a single bike.

- A tandem with it's wheels off is only about 6" wider than a single rider bike with it's wheels left on.
- A tandem with just the front wheel off will still usually sit within the overall width of most mid-size or full-size vehicles.
- The average contemporary tandems range in weight from 30 - 50lbs "as ridden", which is well within weight limits of most all rear hitch mount and trunk-mount bike racks.

The speciality racks aren't a bad idea if you already have invested the money in a sports-rack system for your car and are adept at loading, not running into things, and then unloading bikes from the roof of your vehicle. But, it's far from being the most cost-effective solution if you're starting from scratch and don't feel the need to tell the world you're into cycling by tattooing your car with all the ubiquitous cycling accoutraments. Now, don't get me wrong, if you routinely carry bikes around the roof-mount makes a lot of sense as the rear rack systems really get in the way of rear opening doors and trunks. Not to mention, you really don't want your $$$$$ bike sitting down at pedestrian or inattentive motorist level... you want it up top where any damage will clearly be of your own doing.

Me? I've probably invested a small fortune in Yakima sports racks over the last 28 years, but haven't had them installed on any of our cars or trucks since 2003: the bikes go inside nowadays. If I was inclined to buy a "car" to replace my truck I'd probably make or buy a rear-receiver hitch mount that could handle a pair of bikes or tandems and forego the roof-mounted systems if only for dent that roof mounted systems put in a vehicle's fuel efficiency. The racks themselves, with or without an air deflector, seem to rob about 5%, whereas adding bikes can put a 15% - 20% dent in a small sedan or wagon's MPG. Interestingly enough, I don't think our old '97 Suburban was any less fuel-inefficient when we had three tandems on top and six adults inside as it was when there was just one tandem and two people inside: those big truck motors can pull all day without breaking a sweat.

While I think the original question has been answered... and the subject has veered a little. .. I will add. I do not carry my bikes "outside" on a rack. I always transport them inside. I always consider my "toys" when buying a vehicle. I have used Pick ups with caps... I recently had a 15 passenger van... we now use a Honda minivan. The bikes are inside out of the weather... away from prying eyes [and fingers] and if we are involved in an accident that harms the bikes... we probably have "bigger' issues.

we have a honda civic wagon. the burley fits inside. i brought the screamer home , but the crankset was in the windshield on the passenger side, (my stoker didn't go with me). my friends used to transport their burley on a rear rack with the wheels off. it was just a bit wider then their old toyota.

Thanks, I may put the bones on the Yukon and see what the real deal is.
Normally we would transport the bikes inside the Yukon but we're going to Lake Tahoe in
July with the 4 kids, the kayak, and the bikes. Gotta put the people somewhere.

My 6 year old wouldn't mind being strapped to the top for the first few miles, but I think he'd get tired of swallowing the bugs.

We recently moved to town, sold our truck and got a Honda Civic Coupe (very big change -- real small car!). Even with wheels off, the tandem won't go inside, but it goes onto a Saris Bones rack on the rear with no problem. We only take the front wheel off and it definitely doesn't stick out enough to be any trouble. The Bones is inexpensive, quick and easy to put on and take off, seems very solid, and we can even open the trunk with it on. Best of all, we don't have to drive around with our rack on the car all the time taking wear and tear from the sun, wind and rain.

Maybe if we needed to transport our tandem by car every other day or so, we'd decide that the few minutes we'd save in not having to put the rack on the car would be worth the crippling expense of a Yakima (we've used the Yakima Sidewinder in the past and it works great) or Thule roof system with tandem carrier, but we mainly ride from home and only need to put the bike on the car once or twice a month.

We have a car top saris roof rack. Does Saris make a tandem rack?
I've looked around but found nothing, maybe I'm looking in the wrong place?
Or they don't make one?
Thanks

Ginny

We've been using a Saris tandem rack since 99. We already had a Saris roof rack when we got into tandeming. We had started out with mounts for our single bikes that didn't require removing the front tire. When we bought our tandem we went to our Saris dealer and bought a tandem lenght tray. We then used the two single bike swing arms, with the tray, to hold our tandem. Check with the shop that sold you the Saris system, they should be able to help you out. Here's a picture I posted awhile ago.

Shop bought racks are good, but it's very easy to build something which looks very similar to Hermes' rack for very little. I looked at modifying a Thule single bike rack by bolting on a longer wheel tray, but in the end I made one myself.

I attached a Saris Trap wheel clamp to some 2x4 and added some trailer axle u-bolts to hold it onto the roof bars. Total cost of <£30 and one evening's work (mainly painting it black), rather than ~£200 for a new one. Other than making a whistling sound at 85-90mph it works very nicely. To date the tandem has remained firmly attached to my RS4's roof despite a heavy right foot.